Boot Priority & Boot Device Control for New SSD as boot drive

IML8 · 11 Jan 2013

After reading through lots and lots of posts and tutorials, I'm still a little confused. I worked for a carpenter one summer when I was a kid and he stressed the philosophy of measuring twice and cutting once as a rule to live by. So, before I fire up my saw, I thought I would seek a little clarification. I expect to get my new 60GB Intel 520 SSD delivered today and here's what I would like to do.

First, here's my system Info:

ASUS P8Z77-V/Pro/Thunderbolt with i7 3770 (non-K) and 2x4GB Trident X Series 2400 RAM
60GB Intel 520 SSD
500GB WD HDD
SW DVD

Okay. I had Windows 7 Home Premium installed on the HDD, but in anticipation of using the new SSD as the boot drive, I cleaned it with Diskpart>clean all. Now, I would like to do a fresh install on the SSD from the DVD drive and use the following xml (from Keri), that I now have on a USB, to move the User and program data to the HDD.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend">
<settings pass="oobeSystem">
<component name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" processorArchitecture="amd64"
publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS"
xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
<FolderLocations>
<ProfilesDirectory>d:\Users</ProfilesDirectory>
<ProgramData>d:\ProgramData</ProgramData>
</FolderLocations>
</component>
</settings>
<cpi: offlineImage cpi:source="wim:E:/sources/install.wim#Windows 7 HOMEPREMIUM"
xmlns:cpi="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:cpi" />
</unattend>

For one thing, I want to make sure that I do not need to change any of that xml (i.e., cpi: source) or my boot order in the BIOS (DVD>SSD>HDD) prior to installing 7 to the SSD.

Also, in the Compatibility Support Module of my BIOS, should I have Boot Device Control set to "UEFI and Legacy OpROM" or to "UEFI only" or will it make any difference?

I apologize if this all seems unclear, trivial or obvious to everyone else, but I really don't know what I'm doing and all the tutorials refer to other tutorials which refer to still other tutorials and it has become so convoluted that it's difficult for me to to have confidence that I am following it correctly. I'm an old grandpa and a recovering geek. I minored in computer science in the early 80's but haven't really been keeping up for the last 20 years.

Any help and/or advice other than "see tutorials x, y and z" would be greatly appreciated.

gregrocker · 11 Jan 2013

We link to tutorials so you'll have illustrated steps for a specific suggestions. It's one of the main reasons we are the top tech forum on the web.

I would not move User folders as we've had feedback indicating unintended consequences. Much easier to copy your User folders to the HD data partition, rightclick each to add to the related Library - Include a Folder - Windows 7 Forums. Keep the emptied C user folder in Library so you can see if anything lands there and drag it over to data drive in same window.

Install most-used programs to C, if space gets too tight uninstall and reinstall lesser used programs to data drive.

To save space you can set paging file to 2gb: Change Virtual Memory Paging File.
If you don't rely on it you can turn off Hibernate in Power Options, though it is perfected in Win7. These are trade-offs that must be decided with a small SSD.

Here are customized install steps for you:

Unplug all other HD's and peripherals,

Check for a BIOS update. If none boot into BIOS setup, reset to defaults, save changes. Next if an EFI BIOS, enable Legacy BIOS, set DVD drive first to boot, SSD second. Then set SATA controller to AHCI. Save changes and Exit.

Then boot into installer DVD or flash stick burned or written using tool and latest ISO for your licensed OS version here.

At first installer screen Press Shift + F10 to open a Command Box, type:

DISKPART
LIST DISK
SELECT DISK 0 (after confirming Windows 7 target SSD #)
CLEAN
CREATE PARTITION PRIMARY SIZE=102400 (for 100gb partition, adjust as desired)
FORMAT FS=NTFS LABEL="WINDOWS 7"
ACTIVE
EXIT
EXIT

Next click Install Now, then Custom install to Clean Install Windows 7 to the partition you created. If it fails then report back at which step and the verbatim error message.

In addition read over these steps to understand the tools and methods which work best to get and maintain a perfect Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7. The steps are the same for retail.

After install you can adjust partition size or Create new partitions for data, etc. in Disk Mgmt. We are creating the partition here to mark it Active which overcomes certain install failures.

IML8 · 11 Jan 2013

Didn't mean to sound like I was belittling the importance or the usefulness of the tutorials. It was more of a comment on my ineptitude which I'm going to ask you to patiently indulge just a little bit further. I don't mean to be a pain, but your use of "HD" seems a little ambiguous. Are you saying that I should re-install 7 on my clean Hard Disk rather than my new SSD?

Britton30 · 11 Jan 2013

I'm sure Greg meant SSD instead. But it is important to unplug any HDDs in your system and install to the SSD. w7 May try to place the 100MB reserved on the largest drive it sees.

gregrocker · 11 Jan 2013

Anything else?

whs · 11 Jan 2013

IML8 · 11 Jan 2013

"Anything else?"

No, but thanks for your input. I'll figure it out.

IML8 · 12 Jan 2013

I ended up using Keri's tutorial: User Profiles - Create and Move During Windows 7 Installation and with a few minor on-the-fly adjustments it worked great. Kudos to Keri!

After downlaoading, installing and updating various programs and utilities and, subsequently, putting them through their paces, my system is working exactly as I wanted it to - perfectly.

Thanks for all the help!